Hong Kong’s March 11 legislative by-elections: Meet the candidates

By-elections for four Legislative Council seats in Hong Kong Island,Kowloon West, New Territories East and the architectural functional constituency will be held on March 11, following the oath-taking row which saw six pro-democracy and localist lawmakers disqualified.

HKFP profiles the various candidates to replace the ousted lawmakers in the three geographical constituencies and one functional constituency elected by popular vote.

Au, who became a Southern District councillor in 2011 by winning steady support in the area, was previously the convener of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organises the annual July 1 pro-democracy march. He withdrew from the moderate Democratic Party last year, saying he wished to aide the “progressive” section of the pro-democracy camp following the increased persecution.

Judy Chan, New People’s Party

Pro-Beijing hopeful Judy Chan is currently a district councillor in Southern District’s South Horizons West constituency. Returning from the United States, Chan began her political career by beating pro-democracy actress Erica Yuen for the district seat in 2014, and placed second in the candidate list of New People’s Party heavyweight Regina Ip in the legislative elections two years later.

Judy Chan. Photo: In-Media.

She has been rumoured to be the pro-Beijing candidate since last August. In media interviews, Chan has mainly emphasised her experience in community work, and was also supportive of Regina Ip’s criticisms of the Link real estate trust for selling off its portfolio of shopping malls at public housing estates to private investors.

Edward Yum, unaffiliated

Edward Yum surprisingly announced his intention to run in December. His father Yum Sin-ling was a legislator prior to 1997, and had close ties with Taiwan’s Kuomintang, once influential in Hong Kong.

Edward Yum. Photo: Facebook.

A fund manager by profession, Yum was previously a member of the pro-democracy People Power, but his current political stance is unclear. In the 2016 elections, Yum supported localist Jonathan Ho, who ran on a platform of telling voters not to re-elect veteran lawmaker Raymond Wong.

In media interviews, Yum has denied that his candidacy will siphon votes from Demosisto’s Chow, before she was barred. His platform focuses on economic issues.

Ng Dick-hay, unaffiliated

Ng was the spokesperson of the Defend Hong Kong Campaign. He works in the information technology sector.

Ng Dick-hay. Photo: RTHK screenshot.

Ng said he is anti-Hong Kong independence. He often wrote commentaries on the pro-Beijing HKG Pao. He frequently attended RTHK’s weekly City Forum as an audience and gave comments.

Kowloon West: Seat vacated by Youngspiration’s Yau Wai-ching

Scholar Edward Yiu was ousted from his architectural sector legislative seat after adding a reference to “sustainable development” to his oath of office. The 52-year-old will not recontest the functional constituency, but will run in Kowloon West, describing himself as a “common denominator” between pro-democracy and localist groups.

Vincent Cheng, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB)

Sham Shui Po district councillor Vincent Cheng is the a pro-Beijing candidate. He won the primaries within the DAB in mid-2017 and has been campaigning since.

Vincent Cheng. Photo: In-Media.

Cheng’s father ran a listed textiles and electronics business, and Cheng himself is married to the sister of actress Myolie Wu. But he has rejected the “rich kid” label in media interviews, saying he has a decade’s experience serving poor communities in working-class Sham Shui Po since being elected a councillor in 2007.

Jonathan Choi, unaffiliated

Jonathan Choi is a physiotherapist. He was a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, but he withdrew from the party citing differences in political views. He said that the party did not put livelihood issues first.

Jonathan Choi. Photo: Facebook.

New Territories East – replacing the seat vacated by Youngspiration’s Baggio Leung

Gary Fan, Neo-Democrats/Hong Kong First

Gary Fan of the Neo Democrats was chosen after the pro-democracy camp primaries in a bid to regain the seat he held from 2012 to 2016.

Gary Fan. Photo: In-Media.

Fan was originally a Democratic Party activist until he and other Neo Democrats splintered from the party after its support for a controversial political reform package in 2010. Since then, he has been considered localist-leaning, advocating policies to protect Cantonese and decrease reliance on water from mainland China.

Bill Tang, Federation of Trade Unions/DAB

Social worker Bill Tang is a pro-Beijing candidate. Like Kowloon West’s Cheng, his campaign is well-publicised with advertisements on various forms of public transport.

Bill Tang. File Photo: Facebook.

Having risen through the ranks in the Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), Tang became a legislator for the labour functional constituency in 2012. In 2016, he ran in the popularly-elected New Territories East constituency instead, and was defeated. In June 2017, Tang joined the DAB without leaving the FTU, and now has the backing of both pro-Beijing heavyweight parties.

Christine Fong, Livelihood First

Christine Fong was a government-appointed district councillor between 2008 and 2011, before being elected as a district councillor in 2012. She maintains a moderate stance, saying she is rational, constructive and is neither of the pro-democracy nor pro-Beijing camp.

Christine Fong. Photo: In-Media.

She ran in the 2012 Legislative Council election, the February 2016 by-election and the September general election but lost with substantial amount of votes – 24,594, 33,424 and 34,544 respectively.

Nelson Wong, unaffiliated

Nelson Wong is a former lawmaker. He was a founding member of the Democratic Party who was expelled in 2015 because of his support of the government’s controversial election reform package that year.

Nelson Wong. Photo: In-Media.

He formed a new moderate group, Third Side, with former Democratic Party vice-chair Tik Chi-yuen. But Wong left the party since it did not support his run in the social welfare sector of the Legislative Council election in 2016.

Estella Chan, unaffiliated

Estella Chan is a company director. She ran in the 2016 Legislative Council election supporting the re-election of then-chief executive Leung Chun-ying. She obtained 486 votes at the time.

Estella Chan. File Photo: Apple Daily.

She became a popular internet meme after the election for a photo she featured in with lawmaker Alvin Yeung.

Joyce Chiu, unaffiliated

Joyce Chiu is a retired nursery teacher. She is a member of the Family School SODO (Sexual Orientation Discrimination Ordinance) Concern Group, which opposes gay marriage.

Joyce Chiu. Photo: Facebook.

She said that she was inspired by God to run, and that she successfully raised enough money for the election deposit thanks to prayer.

Localist Ventus Lau was barred from running as the election officer claimed Lau expressed “an apparent reluctance to denounce his hitherto manifested and sustained stance of independence of Hong Kong.”

Shatin district councillor James Chan was also barred from running as the election officer did not believe Chan changed his pro-independence stance.

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